If you’re brainstorming the right words to describe a time capsule in your novel, let us help with the 10 words in this post. Scroll down to learn more.
1. Mysterious
Definition
Constituting a mystery; causing wonder, surprise, or curiosity.
Examples
“The mysterious time capsule had been buried in the backyard, and there were no immediate indicators to tell who it had once belonged to.”
“While the hiding of the time capsule was well-documented, what was inside it remained mysterious.”
How It Adds Description
Saying that the time capsule in your story is mysterious is a great way to help your readers get a little more curious. If neither your readers nor your characters know what’s in the time capsule, then opening the capsule becomes much more exciting.
2. Hidden
Definition
Concealed; being out of sight.
Examples
“The time capsule was hidden somewhere in the huge house—she just didn’t know where.”
“Once he had found the hidden time capsule, he thought, he would be celebrated by his friends and family.”
How It Adds Description
When you hide a time capsule, you want to make sure that no one opens it up to soon. So it makes sense to describe it in your story as something that is hidden. You can have your characters know about its existence beforehand, or perhaps it’s so well-hidden that no one knows about it until one of your characters stumbles across it.
3. Secret
Definition
Kept away from view or knowledge; revealed only to one who is initiated; designed to elude detection.
Examples
“No one knew about the secret time capsule until the man’s great-granddaughter happened to find it in the dusty old cellar.”
“Once she had told them about the secret time capsule that only she knew about, he began searching for it.”
How It Adds Description
Not all time capsules are kept secret, but many of them are. Using the word secret to describe yours can help add an air of intrigue around it.
4. Forgotten
Definition
Not remembered; intentionally disregarded.
Examples
“The old, forgotten time capsule had been buried a long time ago, and the hinges on the metal box were now almost too rusted to open.”
“She had filled the time capsule with pictures and letters and left it forgotten in the attic until many years later when it was time to open it again.”
How It Adds Description
Forgotten can mean disregarding something on purpose, which many people do with time capsules. However, you can also describe the time capsule in your story as forgotten if your character left it for longer than they meant to.
5. Ancient
Definition
Very old or having an existence of many years; relating to a different time in history; antique.
Examples
“The time capsule had been hidden away so long ago he almost wanted to call it ancient.”
“When she uncovered the ancient time capsule and looked at its contents, she felt like she had been transported to another world entirely.”
How It Adds Description
Something that is ancient is not just old—using this word to describe your time capsule implies that the capsule and the objects within could belong to another time period altogether.
6. Dateless
Definition
Having no date or unable to be dated; so old it cannot be properly attributed to a specific time.
Examples
“The dateless time capsule held no clue as to when it had been hidden away, and there were no names to help identify who the original owner had been.”
“The time capsule contained dateless documents, so it was difficult to tell when the capsule itself had been hidden.”
How It Adds Description
If you want to make your time capsule seem old and even more mysterious, dateless is a good word to use. It infers that the capsule is so old that it’s impossible to determine its exact age.
7. Exciting
Definition
Causing feelings of excitement.
Examples
“The moment she emerged from the basement with the exciting time capsule, everyone gathered around to see what was inside.”
“The time capsule had been exciting to find, but even more thrilling was everything his grandmother had hidden away inside it.”
How It Adds Description
Finding something hidden away is always exciting! That makes this a great word to use for when your character finds the time capsule that another hid away. It can be even more exciting if your character doesn’t know about its existence until then.
8. Mind-Blowing
Definition
Boggling to the mind; shocking or very surprising.
Examples
“The discovery of the time capsule was a mind-blowing one, especially once she opened it up and discovered what was inside.”
“The time capsule held some mind-blowing realizations, including many that affected her views on her family as a whole.”
How It Adds Description
Something that is mind-blowing is more than just a little surprising. If the time capsule in your story is mind-blowing, then it could contain information that shocks your character to their core and possibly changes the course of your story.
9. Perplexing
Definition
Difficult to understand or causing confusion.
Examples
“The time capsule held a lot of perplexing documents, and she knew she’d have to spend a lot of time poring over them to try and understand them.”
“Although it was thrilling to find, the existence of the time capsule was a perplexing one.”
How It Adds Description
The time capsule in your story may contain some things that are confusing to your character. Your character may also not have known that the time capsule even existed until they happen upon it. In either case, perplexing is a good word to describe your character’s confusion.
10. Curious
Definition
Odd or mysterious; being unexpected, strange, or novel in some way.
Examples
“The time capsule was a curious thing, and everyone in the house gathered around the table to open it and see what was inside.”
“Everything they pulled out of the time capsule was very curious, and they all spent many hours trying to figure out where it had all come from.”
How It Adds Description
If the time capsule or whatever is inside the time capsule in your story is a little strange, then you can describe it as being curious.